5 things we learned in Week 7 of WPIAL high school football: Long playoff drought over

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, October 14, 2023 | 8:45 PM

Purchase Photo Options

One of the WPIAL’s longest active playoff droughts is over, and another long streak also could end this year.

Jefferson-Morgan was one of four WPIAL teams that had gone at least 10 seasons without reaching the postseason, but the Rockets clinched a playoff spot with a win Friday.

Second-year coach Shane Ziats broke the good news to his players on the field after a 46-12 win over Monessen.

“It was the first thing I said to them after the game,” Ziats said. “I told them, ‘Congratulations, you did a good job and worked as a team.’ And then I said, ‘For the first time in 11 years, Jefferson-Morgan is qualified for the playoffs.’ ”

Ziats described the mood as “jubilation.” Jefferson-Morgan, a Greene County school, last made the playoffs in 2012.

“That’s a memory that’s going to last, absolutely,” said Ziats, whose team improved to 5-3 overall, 4-1 in the Tri-County South.

Now, another WPIAL team, Ellwood City, could end its extended playoff drought as well. The Wolverines haven’t reached the playoffs since 2011, but they are fifth in the Midwestern Conference, which qualifies five teams.

This is the second season at Ellwood City for coach Dan Bradley.

The longest active WPIAL playoff drought belongs to Carlynton, which hasn’t reached the postseason since 2001. Hopewell hasn’t qualified since 2012, the same year as Jefferson-Morgan.

“We’ve still got a ways to go, but we’re headed in the right direction,” Ziats said.

2. Freshman phenom

Western Beaver quarterback Jaivin Peel became the first WPIAL passer to reach 2,000 yards this season, which is an impressive feat by itself.

What makes Peel’s numbers more remarkable is that he is only a freshman, and he has thrown for more yards than any ninth grader in known WPIAL history.

Peel reached the record and the milestone with a 423-yard passing effort Friday in a 57-7 victory over New Brighton. He has 2,138 yards. The previous freshman record was believed to be 1,728 yards, set by Johnny DiNapoli at East Allegheny in 2019.

Peel has at least three more games remaining because Western Beaver has clinched a playoff spot. The 6-foot, 160-pound freshman is averaging nearly 270 yards. He also has thrown 26 touchdown passes.

Peel is a student at Lincoln Park but plays football for Western Beaver through a cooperative sponsorship between the nearby schools. Lincoln Park doesn’t have a football team.

3. Big schools, big wins

Upper St. Clair and Peters Township got a couple of wins for the “little” guys.

The Week 7 schedule had five nonconference games pitting a Class 5A team against a 6A opponent. The bigger school won three of the five matchups Friday. Upper St. Clair defeated Canon-McMillan, 24-17, and Peters Township blanked Mt. Lebanon, 42-0.

But the overall trend continued. Class 6A teams have gone 15-7 this year against 5A foes.

On Friday, Central Catholic defeated Penn Hills, 45-12; North Allegheny topped Norwin, 53-25; and Seneca Valley beat North Hills, 46-25.

There are three more cross-classification games in Week 8 and one in Week 9.

4. WPIAL all-time passers

Gateway quarterback Brad Birch is climbing the list of all-time WPIAL passers.

The senior threw for 414 yards Friday, jumping him past former Pine-Richland star Ben DiNucci and into seventh place in league history. Birch is approaching the 8,000-yard milestone. He has 7,929.

Next on the career yardage list are Sto-Rox graduate Eric Wilson (8,009) and Pine-Richland’s Phil Jurkovec (8,202).

5. Underrated rivalry

McGuffey and Keystone Oaks aren’t natural rivals, but try to find a more competitive series in the WPIAL. The past three matchups were decided by a combined five points.

The latest in their series came Friday when McGuffey’s Reid Teagarden blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter to preserve a 16-14 victory. The kick was from about 25 yards, and McGuffey later made another defensive stand in its own territory to win.

A year ago, Keystone Oaks threw a winning touchdown pass on the game’s final play to pull out a 32-30 victory. Before that, their most recent matchup came in 2013. McGuffey won 41-40 on a touchdown with about 90 seconds left.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.